


Childish Minds

by thecattydddy



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Child Abuse, Child Murder, Family, Multi, child!spencer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-04 11:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4136097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecattydddy/pseuds/thecattydddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer Reid goes missing when on a case and the others must continue on with their jobs. A particular unsub may lead them to their missing teammate, but things won't be exactly the same when they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Hotch.” The elder agent turned back towards his subordinate, watching Spencerlook around him.

“What is it, Reid?”

“Something's wrong.”

The doctor kept a grim look on his face, almost as if he was trying to hide his worry behind a neutral expression. One of the things about Spencer that Aaron had always appreciated about the younger agent was that, despite everything that'd happened, he still managed to wear his heart on his sleeve. It was an almost childish trait that helped make him seem a little more innocent than any of them really were.

“Do you have something you want to tell me, Reid?”

“I dunno everything just seems… Off.”

The way he said it put Aaron on edge, but no other comment was forthcoming. This case was over and the suspect had been narrowed down. This was the final part of the job – Apprehending the murderer. They continued down the hall, guns at the ready. A split in the hall led the two to exchange a glance before Aaron pointed Spencer down one of the halls, taking the other for himself. They separated, scouting out the area. For a few moments, there was silence. No sound of any kind bar for Aaron's steady breathing.

And then came Spencer's yelling.

“Reid!” Aaron couldn't have been very long getting to where he'd heard the sound. The room was empty – It was almost as if Spencer had disappeared in thin air. He moved into the small space, keeping his gun up and checking to see if there were any signs of escape. The window was shut, but the layer of dust was in slight disarray, showing he might have escaped through there.

“Hotch, we got him!” Derek's voice scratched through the intercom.

“Is Reid with you?”

“Wasn't he supposed to be with you?”

“Morgan, search the parameter. Someone else is here.”

“What about Reid?” Kneeling down, Aaron noted a few drops of blood on the carpet, almost hidden from view. Still fresh.

“ _Now_ , Morgan.”

* * *

“What'd you find?”

“Nothing, Hotch. If anyone was here, they're long gone,” Derek replied. He tossed his things aside, leveling Aaron with a look that demanded answers. “People have been sent out in the surrounding areas looking for anyone with a vague description of Reid. Mind telling me what happened back there?”

“I don't really know. One second we were looking for the unsub, the next he was gone,” Aaron explained, “Reid mentioned something about things feeling wrong, but neither of us dwelled on it.”

Derek growled. His face screwing into something unreadable, but probably angry, “We gotta find the kid, Hotch.”

“Morgan,” Aaron placed a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down, “We will.”

“Who the hell knows what's happening to him right now.”

“I know. We'll find him.”

* * *

“ _Hurts_ ,” Spencer whimpered, fingers gripping something. He wasn't sure why he said it – In front of his kidnapper, no less – but he couldn't help himself. It'd happened impulsively.

“Shh. It's okay, Sweetheart. Mommy is here.” The voice was feminine and soft. It could have been soothing in another circumstance.

“Stop! _Stop!_ ” Spencer pleaded, his skin crawling as whatever she'd injected him with began to enter its final stages. Cool fingers brushed over his overheating skin in a calming motion.

“Shhh. Get some sleep, Baby. Get some sleep.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

It'd been months with no sign of their youngest agent. They'd spent a while dedicating a search for him, but it'd turned up fruitless every time. No one had memory of seeing him. No suspects to identify him. No one had reached out to them as if this was a form of revenge or a game. There was nothing.

Eventually, the team was forced to continue their job. They didn't want to believe that Spencer was gone for good, but they couldn't stop to follow a dead-end. Even so, they showed signs that the search wasn't over. Aaron spent time in his office after his hours were over reviewing anything he might have missed. Every member kept their eyes peeled for even the slightest sign of Spencer. With the help of Emily, Garcia put together letters to Diana, trying to make it seem that he was still fine. She wasn't stupid enough not to realize something was wrong, but what mother wants to assume that their child was gone forever?

“We've got a new case,” J.J. said as everyone entered the room, flipping the screen on as they sat down. Pictures appeared of several young men, “In the past few months, as many as three individuals have gone missing. All three of them were young males. Brunettes. All of them in their early to mid twenties.”

Another image can onto the screen, this time of small child, laying dead, “Recently, there was a small boy found murdered; Blunt object to the head being the decided cause of death, though he also has several other signs of physical abuse before the time of death. Unidentified, they ran the DNA of the body and it apparently matched one of the missing individuals – twenty five year old, Richard Parker.”

“So they believe the unsub made them interact?” Derek assumed, raising an eyebrow.

“No. The child's DNA. It matches Richards… Perfectly.”

“You don't mean to say...” Emily demanded, unable to finish her sentence. No one in the room could quite voice what they were thinking.

“All signs point to the belief that this is child is in fact the missing victim.”

“You've got to be kidding me,” Derek scoffed, disbelieving, “There's no possible way that someone was able to regenerate someone to this sort of age. It's unbelievable, really.”

“There were some traces of a foreign chemical found in his system,” J.J. went on, “They're working on identifying it, but for now they're at as much of a loss as we are. It seems that this is the only body that has turned up in relation to this case, so we need to find the others before more people turn up or other individuals go missing.”

* * *

“Boys! It's time for supper!” the feminine voice called out. Several sets of feet came storming into the house, tracking mud across the tile floor. She rolled her eyes at the sight, but didn't comment on it for the time being. Counting the heads, she narrowed her eyes when one was unaccounted for. Marching over to the stairs, she called up to the upper floor.

“Claude! Put down that book and come to dinner at once!” For a moment, there was no reply. One clear footstep echoed up the stairs and whatever boy was missing scurried to comply.

“One moment, Mam!” She impatiently tapped her foot, waiting for the child to appear before her. The boy stopped about halfway up the stairs, obviously trying not to look frightened, but clearly unable to mask his expression all that well. He was young, appearing at about five or six years old. Curly brown hair framed his face and his eyes were the wide, honest kind that better fit a small puppy than a human being. His choice of clothing seemed a little strange for a boy his age, but somehow they also seemed the best fit for him.

“Claude. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Mam, if I may that's not my-”

“ _Young man_ ,” she cut him off, sharply, “Did I or did I not just ask you a question.”

His voice shook a little as he replied, but he continued, “You did, I just merely was trying to point out that my name is-”

“ _Silence!_ ” her screech scared not only him into silence, but it startled the others in the room over as well. The woman took hold of the boy's arm, dragging him the rest of the way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Not a sound could be heard except the clicking of the woman's heels against the flooring. The two of them passed by the table full of boys, all of whom were watching the scene in pure terror. Panicking, the boy tried to pull away from her, only for the grip to become tight enough to draw blood. He knew what she wanted and, despite how much he tried to fight it, this was a time where he was better off not doing so.

“Mommy!” the tiny child's cry stopped the woman in her tracks, still facing forward as if she wasn't sure what to do, yet. Overwhelmed, the boy's eyes began to tear up, not able to quite hold them back. He didn't like it when his body took over like this. It felt wrong to him, “Mommy, I'm sorry! Mommy, please!”

“Oh, Claude,” the mother turned to face the boy, who remained stiff, but didn't push away the hug. He wouldn't let himself fall into her embrace – No matter how much his childish mind may have wanted it. He dare not speak his next thought, but he could still think it to himself.

“ _My name is Spencer_.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Hotch! We've got report of another person missing,” J.J. announced, dropping a file on the table, “Devin Green. Young male. Matches the others.”

“Do we have a profile, yet?” Aaron inquired.

“I think so,” J.J. nodded, “But you know how it is. It always seems like it's missing something, these days. Ever since...”

“Ever since Reid went missing,” Aaron finished the sentence for her, “With good reason. I'm certain he would have noticed something already to tip us off, but he's not here and we can't keep looking for him until this case is solved, so let's just stay focus.”

“Of course, Sir. I'll call the team together.”

* * *

“The unsub we're looking for is a white female, most likely in her late to mid fourties,” Emily explained, “She's likely got some form of scientific background. She's most likely going to look similar to the victims. We believe she usually has a calm and unassuming presence, but has been known to lash out at random intervals. There is a possibility that she suffers from some kind of mental illness.”

“Because of the children, we believe she's recreating a loss of a child, likely that died either because of an accident or was harmed by another individual,” Morgan added, rubbing his hands together, “We aren't quite sure how she's doing it, but it appears she's changing these young men back into children. We aren't quite sure how this process works, but we have to go with the evidence pointed out to us. When you find these victims, they will not look like their usual selves. We've collected a few photos from the victims families to help you identify them, if you do end up finding them.”

“You can't actually believe someone is holding the power to turn full grown men into children!” one of the gathered officers rebuked.

“I know how strange this sounds, but the body identified as Richard Parker matches pictures supplied by the family at a younger age.” J.J. explained, “This is a lead we cannot ignore. The reason we believe she hasn't dropped more bodies is because of the fantasy she must be living out with them. She's raising them as if they were her own children.”

“This fantasy is probably very fragile, though,” Aaron stepped in, “If the child doesn't play along, she may have marked them as ill fit for the roles she wanted them to play. This might cause her to lash out at the children, go as far as to physically abuse them. We believe she might have gone too far with Richard and killed him accidentally. This is why she has taken her newest victim – Devin Green. Whatever she has done to these other boys, she's doing to him, now. They will most likely be alive, but this depends solely on the behavior of the children, themselves.”

* * *

Spencer pressed his back to the wall, a book held against his chest in a manner probably meant to comfort the small boy. The screams coming from the other side of the wall were clearly from the man that'd been dragged into the house earlier. As time had passed, just like with the others, the yelling had become increasing more childlike. He, himself, probably had even experienced much the same thing, though his own understanding of the time before he reached about four were sketchy at best.

His memory was terribly vivid for what he assumed had been the past few months, which ruled out the possibility that his own memory was to blame for the missing pieces, making him assume it was whatever was being done to them. The strange patches in his memory weren't the only inconsistent piece. The existence of any of this previous memories seemed to be uncommon, though, as none of the other victims experienced this. His growing rate also was strangely advanced for any normal person, but the others who'd come seemed to have been almost stopped at a particular age, as if their aging process was incredibly sped down.

Evidence would have pointed at him being a test run, but definitely not the first. And clearly not enough of a mess up to warrant disposing of him; Possibly added to by the fact that he was much easier to pull into the ruse than Richard had been. It was best not to dwell on the unfortunate end of that boy.

Part of him did wish he'd still had the other to share his finding with. While Richard hadn't always understood him, they'd kept each other sane in all of this. There was also something about the experience that had seemed familiar to Spencer – Almost as if he'd done it in another life or something.

He froze in fear when the door suddenly swung open, the elder woman turning to look directly at him with unforgiving eyes.

“What are you doing up?”

Spencer racked his brain for an excuse, heart pounding. She seemed tired and irritable, so now would not be a good time to fight her and her fantasy, “I… I had a bad dream, Mommy.”

“I told you to go to bed.”

“But-”

She took him by the arm and pulled him forward enough to place a painful swat against his backside, drawing a yelp out of the child. “Don't talk back to me. Now, off to bed.”

Of all the ways that could have ended, he considered this a blessing, “Yes, Mam.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting these chapters out surprisingly fast. Hopefully it doesn't take away from the content, though. n.n'

It's such a strange concept," David mumbled, staring at the board where the clues had been laid out for them, "Reverting someone back to their younger stages."

"Well, I suppose it is… Though, not completely unthinkable in nature," Emily pointed out, "All sorts of creatures can regrow parts of their bodies after loosing them, which is sort of similar to having younger versions of those things. And I heard about a jellyfish that can completely revert to its younger form, one time."

"Really?" David considered, "Anything else like that you can think of that might help us with this case?"

"Honestly, I never really put much thought into anything like this," Emily shrugged, "Reid would have brought this up a long time ago, though. Probably interrupted our analysis with his over the top speech and everything."

"You make it sound so resigned – Don't tell me you've given up hope of finding the kid?"

"Of course not! It's just..." Emily trailed off, not quite sure how to finish her thought, "He added something to the team, Rossi. We all do, in a way, but Reid especially. Not to mention we all thought of him as a little brother or something of the sort. Sometimes it's a little easier to pretend like I've got everything together than address how I really am right now over it. Sure makes talking about him a whole lot easier."

"See, this is why I like the kid," David shook his head with a smirk set on his face, "He doesn't feel this need to hide how he feels like the rest of you."

"Or he can't," Emily corrected, "You've seen him try to lie before, haven't you?"

"Mmhmm. Doesn't take a profiler to see what's up with that one." The elder agent remained staring at the board as Emily took her leave, collecting an array of documentation. She had an interview with a possible biologist that might have known their unsub.

"You know… Sometimes, I think it'd be nice to be as innocent as he is, despite having this job," Emily mentioned, pausing a moment at the door, "I mean, don't get me wrong, Reid has seen plenty of shit for his age, but he's… Still young, despite it all."

"Well, one thing's for sure," David offered Emily a teasing smirk, "In about twenty years, you're all going to have too many wrinkles to pass off as any kind of innocent. Take it from someone who knows."

"Ha! Later, Rossi."

" _Ciao_."

* * *

Spencer let out a strained whimper, instinctively curling away from his attacker. Several bruises were evident along his neckline – A clear sign of strangulation. The feminine form hovering over his cast a glance of malice in his direction.

"You stupid little brat!" The voice was full of venom, raising to dangerous levels. She waved a tattered book at him in a threatening manner, "Why can't you be normal like the rest of your brother, huh? You sit all day reading these  _books_ , but you can't even play a single game of catch without messing up, can you?" Not waiting for an answer, she raised the book high and brought it down on him with more force than should be strictly used on anyone, let alone someone physically aged to a child. He covered his face with his arms, trying to block most of the onslaught. A fire steadily burning away in the corner of the room caught the woman's eye as she momentarily stopped.

"You are done with  _this_." With one final wave, the book was tossed into the fire. Satisfied, she left Spencer to his thoughts – A small boy left to watch as one of his most prized possessions was consumed by the flames. He couldn't help the silent tears from slipping down his face and a single hand reached out as if to retrieve it. He shied away with a cry as a burn began forming on his hand, the book quickly passing with every moment, but he couldn't bring himself to reach in and grab it.

* * *

"Hotch," Aaron glanced over at the sound of his name, addressing the approaching agent with a nod.

"Morgan."

"You know how we suspected she would have earlier victims? Test runs?" Derek held out a file, presumably filled with the discoveries, "Several older victims ranging at about their mid twenties. A few children in varying ages. This is pretty gruesome stuff, Hotch. Some of the victims found… You would have presumed their skin had just melted off or something."

"We need to get these bodies into analysis, immediately. Have J.J. set out the parameters of the kills – See if the unsub has a comfort zone." Hotch took the report, flipping through the contents, "Excellent work, Morgan."

"Not a problem, Boss. I'll get J.J. on those parameters."

* * *

"FBI!" Derek's voice rang through the house, a door kicked in with the exclamation. The team – followed by the local police force – entered the house, guns at the ready. Shouts of  _clear_  echoed in every room as one of the individuals scouted it out. Derek ventured farther into the house, taking the stairs to the second floor. Glancing in either direction, he kicked a door in and, immediately, the stench that hit his nose made him draw back in disgust. The sight wasn't much prettier.

At first glance, one could have assumed it was a person, but they would soon come to realize it was just the skin of a person, completely void of the necessary things inside. He began to count them. Closer inspection proved that some of them bared striking resemblance to their missing victims, even in the condition they were in. One in particular drew Derek's attention, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Emily found herself searching rooms on the lower floors, eyes peeled for either the unsub or the missing victims. Halfway down a hallway, the telltale sound of a cry drew her attention. She crept towards the sound with hesitance, pushing open the door to reveal a figure, kneeling on the ground and holding a screaming bundle in her arms, "Hands up! FBI! Hotch! We've got her!"

J.J., followed closely by David, came upon the final sight. In a room in the far corner of the first floor, a set of three boys all sat, glancing upward at their arrival. Two of them hovered close to one another, seemingly inseperable, but the last one – Perhaps six years old – sat alone on the far side of the room. Of the three, he seemed the most beaten – Perhaps even the most fragile. She'd be damned if she didn't say those curly brown locks and wide puppy-dog eyes didn't remind her of someone, but it was the way his expression changed to recognition and the words that came out almost as a sob that really hit it home.

" _J.J_?"

"That kid looks an awful like..." David muttered, but J.J. was already ahead of him, tucking her gun away and approaching the small child. The elder agent took it upon himself to help usher the other children out, keeping an eye on J.J. out of the corner of his eye.

She knelt down to his level, reaching a hand out as if she imagined he'd slip away again at any moment. She brought a hand to his face, gently brushing away a tear with her thumb. To someone who didn't know better, this could easily have been a child reuniting with their mother. The boy brought his hand up to rest on hers, both of their eyes mirroring the same glassy look.

"Spencer?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are basically gonna be Reid growing up, again, and everyone trying to figure out how this happened in the first place. Be prepared for lots of tiny Spencer cuteness and maybe a little bit more prominent family roles.

The first thing Spencer became aware of was the hand gently carding through his hair. The smell of chemicals overwhelmed his senses and he frantically tried to pull out of the bed – To distance himself from what he assumed was his kidnapper. Before he even could register what was happening, where he was, hands were pushing him back onto the bed, holding him in place.

"I'm sorry!" the boy cried out, curling in on himself when he was unable to get away, "I'm sorry, Mommy!" Someone bodily pulled him into an embrace, holding him close and whispering soft reassurance through his repeated pleas. A moment went by before his words faded into soft whimpering and the room around him became more clear.

"Shh. It's okay, Spence. You're okay." The woman holding him he came to recognize as J.J. and he responded in kind, holding a little tighter onto her. Glancing over her shoulder, he caught sight of Derek and Emily, both standing with their hands up incase he tried to get away, again. The surrounding area appeared to be a hospital, complete with an I.V. attached to his left arm. He let himself be held until J.J. pulled away, though she kept her hands resting on his arms as added reassurance. He sniffled and wiped away the tears in his eyes, suddenly embarrassed that he'd reacted so strongly.

"I didn't… Didn't mean..." he chocked out, his voice sounding small even to himself. He glanced over to Derek and Emily, trying to express his feelings without the words.

"Shh. It's alright, Kiddo," Derek moved closer, sitting on the bed beside him. Emily loosened her stance, but remained standing, "You've been through a lot. It's alright to be a little confused. Do you know who I am?"

The question surprised Spencer. He nodded furiously, almost hurt that Derek would insinuate otherwise. "Of course!"

"Alright, calm down," Derek chuckled, reaching out a hand and ruffling Spencer's hair, which earned him a glare, "Just making sure. Most of the others don't remember much beyond the ages they're physically at, now. The doctor's are trying to discover what's up with them, but for now it looks like they're stuck as is."

"I wish I could tell you what she did to us, but I don't remember much from my own experience and we weren't allowed in that room afterwards. She had a very… Strict rule about that," Spencer felt a chill go up his spine while remembering the first time he'd made that mistake.

"Shh. You don't have to talk about it, Spence," J.J. insisted. With all the people touching him all of a sudden, he was beginning to feel a little coddled and pushed both her and Derek away.

"I don't mind. It's not like I'm a baby, you know," Spencer insisted, huffily.

"I'm sorry. Call it a motherly instinct," J.J. let out a soft laugh, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him, again. Derek, on the other hand, made no effort. Spencer squealed when the elder agent pulled him into a headlock, messing up Spencer's hair with a knuckle sandwich.

"Nice try, Reid, but you know damn well you're the little brother in this relationship," Derek reminded, loosening his hold enough for Spencer to slip away. He shoved Derek in annoyance, though it hardly even registered for the elder agent. If Spencer was kind of small at his usual age, there wasn't really a way to describe him at about six. They sat in silence for a minute before Spencer spoke up, again.

"So… Can I go home, yet?"

"Not, yet, Sweetheart." J.J.'s apologetic look stopped him from objecting right away, but not from letting the sentiment settle over his features, "Like we said, the Doctor's are still fixing this. The things collected were very non-conclusive. Her methods were next to random. It's a miracle that you even made it out of this alive. Most of her victims didn't."

"But… The others," Spencer furrowed his brow, "The other boys at the house… Didn't they?"

"They're fine. Don't worry, Kiddo," Derek assured him, "But there were more… Before them that hadn't been connected to the case. Test runs. We think… We think you were – Thankfully – the one that worked. Whatever she did to you still wasn't perfect, though."

"I remembered too much," Spencer nodded, folding his hands in his lap, "There was someone before me… He said his name was Richard… He remembered things, too. And he aged faster than the others did – As similar to my case. He told me-"

"Wait, did you say you  _aged_  faster?" Emily cut into the conversation.

"Yes. I've come to assume I originally came from that procedure at about, roughly, two years old," Spencer nodded, "Several months ago, if my perception of time is correct. My self and the other victim both experienced an age lapse faster than the others did. It might have been a change that she made to ensure the other boys aged slower and they didn't go nearly as far back after the first procedure."

"But the one we found with the unsub was about that age – Two or so," Emily noted, crossing her arms in contemplation, "She must have reverted to an earlier chemical – Intentionally or otherwise."

"It was quite an unpleasant experience, growing at that rate," Spencer said, "Thankfully, the teething process was spared, otherwise I'd imagine that'd been particularly painful. I seemed to be growing at the same rate, however."

"Really? So what? You're working on… Two years a month or something?"

"That sounds about right," Spencer agreed. The three agents gathered around him were obviously trying to calculate how long that would take him to age back to his normal self, so he decided to just supply them with the answer, "If my growth continues at this rate, I'm likely to reach my true age in approximately ten months, give or take? Of course, whether or not my aging will then return to normal after that or if there might be other factors to consider is entirely uncertain, especially since there aren't any previous tests for us to base these theories on. I can only really hope it will, but there is also plenty of time for us to speculate that data."

"Spencer, we have no idea how this will affect you," J.J. pointed out, "You could be slowly being exposed to poisonous substances or it could maybe go faster than expected and you'll die of old at in your mid-twenties!"

"At the very least, you'll be in the hospital until they've decided you're stable enough to leave," Emily added, "You definitely taken a serious beating, Reid, and that alone is enough to keep you in a night or two. You are in no shape to go anywhere."

"But, Prentiss! I'm more than capable of walking out of here and I want to get back to work! I've already been gone for months."

"We'll talk about what we're gonna do with you, Spence," J.J. promised. He didn't miss the look exchanged with the others that more than clearly said that, whatever was decided, it didn't include him returning to work after he left this hospital bed, "You just focus on getting better."


	6. Chapter 6

"You know, the car won't start until you buckle your seatbelt," Aaron mentioned, arranging a few things in the front seat. For a moment, he forgot exactly who was sitting in the back of his car.

"Really? Engines aren't usually connect to the seatbelts. Is that a feature you had done specially or is there models that comes with it preinstalled? I don't remembering you mentioning your car doing that, before, so it must be the former, right? How would someone go about doing that? I imagine the original circuit created would have to be interrupted..." Spencer questioned, eying Aaron with curiosity through the rearview mirror. For a fraction of a second, the team leader was at a loss for words, simply listening to Spencer ramble. His surprise must have been obvious because after a few seconds, the younger's talking came to a stop.

"Hotch?"

"Nevermind, Reid. Just… Buckle up," Aaron muttered, starting the car, much to Spencer's confusion.

"I thought you said it didn't start unless I had my seatbelt buckled, first."

Aaron sighed, pulling out of the hospital's parking lot. "It's a phrase you tell children to get them to put their seatbelts on. I use it on Jack, on occasion."

"Oh," Reid considered this. His expression quickly changed from contemplation to annoyance, though, "I'm not a kid."

"I mistook you for my son," Aaron assured, "Habit has clouded my perception a bit."

"Oh." That was all Spencer said and for a short while there was silence, again. Aaron took the time to give him a once-over. The boy had been brought some clothes earlier by one of the other members of the team. A small pile which sat on the table in the room, waiting to be claimed. The shirt was a simple white one, accompanied by a nice, but equally simple pair of black pants. Probably more concerned about Spencer's personal style than the cold, a cotton sweater with a zipper up the front and colored in a light brown had been neatly folded at the bottom on the pile.

Unable to take the silence any longer, Spencer spoke up. "Hotch?"

"What is it, Reid?"

"Um..." he wrung his hands together. For someone trying to insist they weren't a kid, he was giving off a very childish vibe, "So, about me coming back to work..."

"You won't be coming back any time soon, Reid." Aaron's curt answer set a frown on Spencer's face and he didn't hesitate to object.

"But, Hotch-!"

"No buts."

"Are you at least taking me to my apartment?" Spencer hoped, "Since I doubt you'll let me drive in this state, I would appreciate being somewhere familiar."

"No."

"No?"

"You aren't just unable to drive, Reid. You won't be able to do a lot of things on your own for a while, now," Aaron explained, "The team decided, since you don't exactly have parents involved in the case like the other victim's were, that it'd be best if we didn't alarm them with your predicament. J.J. offered her home, however we decided putting the responsibility of you on Will while we were gone wasn't fair, especially since he's already got his hands full with Henry. The same thing was decided about my situation. Rossi has stepped forward to spare you Garcia, however you'll still be spending time with her while we're away for work."

"But the team needs me!" Spencer insisted, "I can still come to work!"

"Not a chance. There is absolutely no way that a child will be allowed at a crime scene…  _Even_  if they are only a child physically." Aaron added the last part with a pointed look towards Spencer, stopping the objection before it started, "I'm taking you to Rossi's, now. He claims that he's a room set up for you, already, and the girls spent more money than either of us want to think about on some things for you. You'll be more than comfortable there."

"But I don't  _want_  to be there." Spencer couldn't help the pout that formed, arms crossed in defiance.

"This isn't a choice, Reid."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You're right, it doesn't… I think you will once you see what's been set up for you, though."

 


	7. Chapter 7

Approaching David's house – It might have been more accurately called a mansion, really – was a tense experience in itself. Spencer sunk deeper into his seat, pulling his jacket up over his face in an effort to hide it. Aaron glanced back at the deaged agent, furrowing his brow.

"Reid?"

"Are you sure I can't go to my apartment?" Red overtook what part of his face was still visible. They were a family that could rely on one another and Spencer  _knew_  that, but it didn't take away from the fact David was an idol of his. As a small child who had been deemed unable to care for even his most basic needs was never how one wanted to be seen by their idols.

"It's not that bad, Reid," Aaron assured, opening his door and rounding the car too pull Reid out of the seat, settling the boy on his hip. Spencer hid his face in Aaron's shoulder, the more prominent childish side of him insisting that, as long as he couldn't see them, they couldn't see him. He knew it was a foolish thought, but that didn't really matter right at the moment.

Aaron rang the doorbell, the door opening a moment later. Spencer tensed up, gripping tighter to the back of Aaron's shirt, "Aaron."

"Dave." the team leader stepped into the house, rubbing soft circles into Spencer's back. "Is his room ready?"

"I could barely get the ladies out of here before you arrived." David gave a soft chuckle. "I'm fairly certain Garcia was trying to stall, but couldn't let our young agent here suffer her so soon after he was released from the hospital."

"I could have handled it," Spencer mumbled, his voice muffled.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to talk to me, Kid," David said, his hands finding their way to his pockets, "I'm sure you could have taken her on, but frankly that's not even something I'd want to go through, myself."

"What do you mean?" He picked his head off of Aaron's shoulder, giving David a confused look.

"Don't get me wrong – She's a really sweet girl, just… Energetic. Not something that the Doctor would prescribe the first night back," David assured, holding out his arms to take Spencer off Aaron's hands.

"Reid," Aaron warned. Spencer whined, practically tearing the fabric right off of Aaron's jacket, he was holding on so tightly. Before Aaron could say anything, David stepped in.

"Spencer." He moved into the boy's line of view, "Would you like to walk on your own?" He didn't respond at first, but eventually nodded and loosened his hold. Aaron placed him on the ground, allowing Spencer to hide behind his leg.

"Aaron, why don't you head on home," David suggested, holding his hand out to Spencer, "I'm going to go ahead and show him his room. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Dave, I don't think-" Aaron began, only to be cut off by a look.

"I don't need to hold your hand," Spencer huffed, "I can get up there all by myself."

"Alright, Kiddo," David gestured towards the stairs, "Head on up, then." He nodded, a determined look that seemed too adorable on adult Spencer let alone the child edition, and went for the stairs.

"He's struggling, Dave," Aaron said as soon as Spencer was out of earshot, "He doesn't even realize what he can't do. He was talking about going back to work."

"It's a difficult situation, Aaron, but you have to let him at least think he has a little control." The senior agent smiled, amused, "Just learn what to control and what to let him have. You're a parent. You should know that by now."

"So… Let him have options?" Aaron concluded, earning a nod from David.

"Exactly."

"Rossi!" Spencer appeared at the top of the stairs, again, practically bouncing in place. His mind told him it was degrading to do, but he couldn't help it with all the excitement pouring out of him. Someone had been insightful enough to make his room  _Star Wars_  themed and if that didn't get Spencer wound up, there wasn't much else that would, "Rossi, come look!"

"Coming, Spencer," David called up to him. He gave Aaron a reassuring pat on the back, "Go home, Kid. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Dave."

"Night."


	8. Chapter 8

Spencer looked up as Aaron's office door opened, pausing in the middle of a very symbolic battle between the forces of good – represented a G.I. Joe – and evil – which took the form of Mr. Potatohead. He tilted his head as Aaron walked briskly into the room, collecting things from his desk. A folder he'd carried into the room was placed on top of these things. Getting up, Spencer waddled across the room and took ahold of Aaron's leg to get his attention, "Hotch?"

"Huh?" Aaron was confused for a moment, before his eyes landed on Spencer and comprehension flowed back into him. He ruffled Spencer's hair, much to the boy's annoyance, and continued his task at hand, "Reid, get your toys together. I'm going to take you over to Garcia's office."

"Are you leaving?" Spencer inquired, not moving from where he stood.

"Yes. There's a case in Upstate New York and we're taking the jet in a few hours," Aaron confirmed, "Please go pick up your toys."

"I want to come." Aaron stopped moving at this declaration, looking down at the six year old like he was doubting he'd heard him right.

"Don't be ridiculous, Reid. We aren't taking a child to the location of a potential serial killer." Spencer's face screwed up in anger and his fists tightened their hold on Aaron's pants.

"I wanna come!" Spencer exclaimed, probably loud enough for the agents outside to hear.

"Lower your voice, Reid."

He stomped his foot, refusing to back down, "I wanna come!"

" _Spencer_ ," Aaron lowered to the boy's level, giving him a no-nonsense look. He hissed out the name, clearly unhappy, "You're not going to come and that's final. Now, go pick up your toys before I loose my patience." Almost immediately, Spencer shrank back and looked away, his heart dropping into his stomach. He slunk away across the room, collecting all the toys spread out on the floor and putting them in a bag sitting by the wall. He held the filled bag to his chest, as if it was supposed to be a shield. His feet shuffled as he waited for Aaron to collect everything. Looking up once he was done, Aaron sighed at the sight of the small boy still sulking, eyes watery as if he was holding back tears. Coming up beside him, he laid a gentle hand on Spencer's head, making the boy look up at him with those big brown eyes.

"Spencer… Would you like to walk to Garcia's office on your own or do you want me to carry you?"

For a second, it seemed like Spencer wouldn't answer, but eventually he held the arm not holding the bag out, indicating he wanted up and Aaron couldn't help a small smile from forming. He picked the boy up with ease and Spencer was settled on Hotch's hip, a small bag of toys still pressed firmly to himself.

* * *

"Sshh. We've gotta be careful, Spencer," Kevin's conspirator voice sounded a little patronizing, but Spencer put up with it. He had a plan and, if it worked, it was worth setting his pride aside for. The moment Kevin had strolled into Penelope's office and started cooing over how adorable Spencer was, he knew exactly how he could get what he wanted. Convincing Kevin to take him to see the jet when Penelope stepped out for a moment had been masterfully completed with just wide eyed look and a declaration of just how much he  _loved_  planes. How he  _so badly_ wanted to go see one. A small, adorable child with an IQ of 187 and the ability to make his big brown eyes watery with almost no effort was a dangerous combination and Spencer almost felt bad using Kevin like this, but if everyone was just going to treat him like a child, anyways, he might as well prove himself.

Spencer climbed up into one of the chairs on the jet, placing his hands on the table and beaming brightly at Kevin. The technical genius practically melted at the child's adorableness. Suddenly, a sound from the door startled Kevin and in the seconds he glanced away, Spencer made his move. Quickly slipping under the table, he crawled his way to the back and slipped into the cupboard. How he'd miraculously made it without being heard was a mystery, but it seemed today really was Spencer's lucky day – If he believed in such things.

Just then, the team boarded to plane, surprised to find Kevin standing in the middle of it. Aaron gave him a suspicious look.

"Kevin, what are you doing here?" The techie glanced over at where Spencer'd last been, internally panicking when the boy was gone. He was  _so_ dead and he knew it. A lie need to come and it needed to be quick.

"Um… Penelope sent me," he explained, hoping they couldn't see how sweaty his hands were. They were behavioral analysts, though. He couldn't even begin to hide that he'd been lying.

"What for?" Aaron questioned, eyes narrowing.

"She… Wanted me to tell you that…" Kevin racked his brain for what he'd remembered seeing on the other techie's computer, "The family of the latest victim had a neighbor who filed for a missing girl. The incident was apparently buried with all the coverage on these recent murders."

"Why didn't she just call us?" Morgan questioned, his lips set in a smirk.

"Be...Cause she was busy?" Kevin attempted, "With… Spencer?"

"Kevin." Hotch interrupted any further explanations he could give.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Get off the jet."

"Of course, Sir." Kevin scurried out with only a single worried glance back and Spencer smiled from his hiding place, holding in the urge to giggle. His plan had gone perfectly and he was coming with them to New York.

* * *

"Kevin?" Penelope's voice had given him butterflies for a long time, but the feeling he was having now wasn't quite the same.

"Yes, Dear?" he wondered, forcing his voice not to crack.

"Is Reid with you?" Penelope wondered, "I saw the note you boys left, but you didn't specify where you were going."

"He was getting stuffy in the office. I offered to take him out," Kevin answered. It wasn't  _exactly_  a lie…

"Where are you now?"

"We… Uh… Went for lunch," Kevin said, his phone threatening to fall out of his hands they were sweating so much. He hated lying to her, but he had to choice, really, " I'd let you talk to him, but he's got his mouth full at the moment."

"Aw! I bet he looks absolutely adorable! Okay, I'll leave you boys to your lunch. Bring me back something, will you?"

"Of course, Dear."


	9. Chapter 9

Spencer found out two things after being cramped in that tiny cupboard. Firstly, six year olds can't stay in the same spot for very long unless they are asleep. Secondly, if you're going to hide on a plane, pick a spot you wont fall out of when you're napping. Not ten minutes into the ride, the young agent was already feeling drowsy and, by the time the team was actually giving the profile, he was out like a light. Penelope was mid-word when a loud thump drew everyone's attention. It was Derek's first instinct to be on high alert, his hand hovering near his hip where he kept his gun. He rose from his seat, peering back at the figure halfway on the flood, sucking on two fingers.

"What the..." he muttered, instantly releasing his tense pose upon recognizing the other and moving forward to pick him up off the floor.

"What is it?" Penelope wondered, moving her head as if that would help the camera get a better shot. Lifting him off the floor with a grunt, Derek presented Spencer to the rest of the team, the child subconsciously curling into him as he slept with two fingers in his mouth.

"Garcia, I thought Reid was with Kevin," Emily stated, eyes widening at the sight. Derek handed over the boy when David held his arms out for him and returned to his seat.

"He was supposed to be," Penelope answered, equally confused as the rest of the team, "I called him a little bit ago and he said they were out for lunch."

"He must have brought Reid here earlier," Aaron concluded, "That would explain why he was on the plane when we arrived."

"But Kevin knows better than to let our little boy genius do something so dangerous!" Penelope argued.

"Well, it's pretty hard to deny a doe-eyed angel when they ask for something," J.J. smiled, knowingly, "He probably didn't intend for Spence to stay, but… When you have an IQ as high as this one, it's not surprising that he got what he wanted one way or another."

"Oh! Little boy genius has been naughty?" Penelope stated, as if the idea seemed impossible, "He's too sweet to do something like that!"

"I assure you he wont be doing it again," Aaron said. The rest of the team exchanged looks, but no one replied to that.

"You all get back to the profile," David suggested, climbing out of his seat with Spencer in tow, "I'mma lay him down over there."

* * *

When Spencer became aware of what was happening around him, the first thing he noticed was that someone was carrying him. He blinked open his eyes, the wall in front of him being the first thing he saw. A yawn escaped him and the response was David's unmistakable laughter.

"Sleep well, Kiddo?" the agent questioned, petting the back of Spencer's hair. He yawned again and pulled away from David's shoulder, looking at him with lidded eyes.

"Wh're'm I?" Spencer murmured, rubbing his fists into his eyes. David moved to put him on the floor, but Spencer laid his head back down, staring up at him.

"We landed in New York a while ago," David explained, "You slept like the dead the entire time we were at the hotel and we decided we couldn't leave you there, so we brought you to the station. The Sheriff was confused, so Hotch and J.J. accidentally decided to claim you as their kid at the same time and are posing as a couple to avoid questions. It's actually quite funny."

"That's really weird," Spencer made a face, "I'm not going to have to call them Mom and Dad, am I?"

"If I were in Hotch's shoes, I'd say hell no, but it probably will raise more confusion if you didn't." David moved to set Spencer in a chair and, this time, he didn't make any moves to stop the action, "As a matter of fact, go all the way. The more like a child you sound, the better. They're out checking the crime scene, at the moment, but they'll be back."

"How did you guys even find me?" Spencer demanded, huffily.

"You feel asleep and then tumbled out of the cupboard. I've been offering to look out for you while you were napping, but I've got a feeling Hotch is gonna want to keep a close eye on you when he returns."

The idea of Aaron's disapproving glare aimed at him for who knows how long while they worked on this case made Spencer's face drain of color. "Or… You could stay."

"No can do, Spencer. You've gotta face him sooner or later."

"Frankly, I'd rather it be later than sooner."

"Yes, well..." He cut himself off, glancing up to see who had just entered the police station, "Speak of the devil. You better go greet them, Kid. Get it over with." Spencer turned around so that he was kneeling in his chair and spying over at the team. Aaron's gaze scanned the room before landing on him, eyes narrowing in disapproval. Spencer sunk lower in his chair, not wanting to face that.

"Alright, Kid. Off you go," David pulled him out of the chair and put him on the floor, moving him forward with a slight push to his back, "If I were you, I'd lay off the attitude a little, too. Just do what he says. That's your safest bet."

"Thanks, Rossi," Spencer muttered under his breath in an almost sarcastic tone. He slunk over to stand beside Aaron and J.J., who'd moved apart from their team and were standing slightly off to the side. He could feel every eye in the station on them.

"Hi," he whispered when he was in close enough range. J.J. bent down to his level, but Aaron remained standing.

"Hey, Spence. Did you have a nice nap?" she wondered, moving some hair out of his face. He nodded, "That's good. I'm glad."

"Spencer," Aaron's voice broke through their moment, drawing Spencer's gaze, "I assume Rossi told you about the situation?"

"About how you are ma-"

"No. Not that. We'll talk about that later."

"Oh. About you and..." Spencer took a deep breath before looking over at J.J. "Mommy?" Both of them raised their eyebrows, taken aback.

"Did Rossi put you up to it?" Aaron sighed, rubbing his temple.

"Yeah."

"It's probably less conspicuous that way, Hotch," J.J. admitted, "Just until we're done with this case. It's not like we aren't used to being called it, anyways."

"I don't think that's the same thing."


End file.
